Conservative Book Talk

This isn’t a book review in the traditional sense, mostly because I am not certain I want to tell people what I just read. We’ll get back to that. What I did do was this: I explored two genres that I have traditionally frowned upon and was surprised at my findings.

First, was anime. Now, anime is a Japanese style of cartoon (manga == comic book; anime == cartoon). I have had a negative approach to anime because those I knew who liked it also tended toward more adult materials. Turns out that in the Oriental societies, anime is considered to be an art form equal with live action cinematography. Anime runs the gamut from children’s shows to adult action flicks and everything else. Now one problem with anime in the US is that it is seems to be closely linked to pornography. I don’t recommend performing Google searches on anime as you will often be just one or two clicks away from seriously objectionable content. If you read (and can search in) Japanese then your search will be less problematic.

So, a few weeks back, I came in contact with anime over the course of daily life and as usual my gut reaction was to condemn it. Then I recalled a friend who had told me about how anime in Japan is no different then Disney (or Pixar) films in the US. So I decided I should get to know the genre a bit better before writing it off. moreover, it turns out that Disney has released several films by Hayao Miyazaki. These films have been re-dubbed with experienced US actors that include the famed Patrick Stewart.

Turns out my friend was right. I’ll probably not go digging up anime because its tough to find good stuff in the US, but I learned that I shouldn’t discount it as a style or genre. What I watched was excellent material with good (albeit different due to Eastern perspectives) stories.

Result: if you have the opportunity to watch Miyazaki movies like Castle In The Sky or Porco Rosso, take the chance and watch them to broaden your horizons. Another good anime is Steamboy which has an interesting discussion about the role of science within society.

Next I read Marvin Olasky’s article in a recent World Magazine. He spoke highly of another genre that I typically disdained: graphic novels. Now if you are like me, you look at a graphic novel and see pictures instead of words. Obviously it is inferior to real novels, right? Or maybe not so much. Since I was trying out new genres, I went to the library and requested the only one I knew. I was both surprised, impressed and saddened.

Let’s start with the good: the story was well written and told primarily through pictures. It amazed me that quite a few of the first ten pages had few words. Of those words, most were in Arabic. Yet intriguingly, I knew exactly what was going on as if the author had spent pages detailing the scenes. This was surprising. The skill used to tell the story was fantastic.

The depth of the author’s story and literary knowledge also surprised and impressed me. I wouldn’t have expected an author with such knowledge and skill to be writing extended comic books. Maybe there’s something to these….

One thought before I reach the bad. I do not see graphic novels being a good substitute for books because they lack words. That might sound odd, but actual words on a page can boost spelling, grammar skills and more accurately direct your thinking than a picture. In some ways, they complement each other, or can do so if both are well written stories.

The bad: graphic images and content littered several sections of the book. This was a great disappointment not just because the material was offensive, but because there was so much talent wasted here. I wish I could recommend the book, but I can’t and won’t.

This lead me to a decision: do I continue reading this one book despite its obvious problems just so I could explore a new genre, do I just write off the genre due to the content of this book (and quit reading it), or do I wait until a more promising sample manages to cross my path? My decision was to keep reading, though I am not sure if I should have.

What do you do when you reach objectionable material? Some material in a book can be ignored. I can turn a page or ignore some element. (Mind you I try not to make it a habit to have to deal with such issues, and these are typically only a problem in novels.) With a movie, I would probably and usually shut it off. With a graphic novel, a picture is worth a thousand words. You can skip a page, but you still saw several thousand words….

Honestly, I continued partially because I wanted to read the story and partially because I wanted to learn more about the genre. Now, I’m not sure if either reason was a legitimate reason.

What do you do when presented with objectionable elements?

Tags: Anime, books, fiction, Genre, Graphic Novels, Matt Gardenghi

Book two of the Alex Rider series (aka, more normal accidents). I am really enjoying this story line of teenage spy, I’ll tell you right now. I’ve found that when I’m feeling most unsure, I’m about to do something right. Alex is accepts his spy role but with reservations and hesitations (although he generally doesn’t hesitate to do what is right), and, drum roll, he makes mistakes in the process.

Plot: The “accidental” deaths of two important world figures have just one connection: sons who “happen” to be attending the prestigious Point Blanc academy, which “happens” to only admit fourteen year old boys. Guess who old Alex is? His secret agent skills have been emerging at school (the opening scene with drug deals is arguably the most hilarious bust up of all time), and its about time he took a vacation anyway. With that parental argument, the agent handler drops Alex off for a week of luxury training with murderously lazy rich brats. He’s delighted to leave them behind, until he finds the locale of his next mission involves the Swiss Alps, a miniature army, and a classroom that appears to be full of robots. And he is the newest classmate. In a school where classes are optional but only robots attend, no drugs are allowed but he falls right to sleep after one glass of soda pop, and the private bedrooms come equipped with hidden cameras, there are lots of secrets. But then, he’s a secret agent.

Positive: Well written, with good character development given to several supporting persons. Alex is delighted to hang out with kids his own age, until he recognizes how immature they all are. Several interesting themes regarding what a person’s taste in art says about them, how wealth does not bring happiness, and allusions to the effect of peer pressure. Also, did I mention that the obligatory opening action sequence is totally cool? The plot follows the stereotypical action-movie sequence of beginning action, introduction of real plot, development via small action sequences, and ever-bigger sequences of fighting and explosions, with a minor resolution that is an illusion to forestall the final ka-boom, and then the actual resolution (as do most of the Alex Rider series). As usual, that structure is tweaked to involve a more classical character development, and one very inventive opening sequence involving a drug ring, a boat, and a crane.

Negative: The crazy Swiss guy isn’t very realistic. He and his minions are pretty clumsy to have such a well-organized scheme, and the motivations are underdeveloped. I suspect the author was told to have a crazy lunatic in his second book just because it worked so well in the first, but he didn’t actually plan the plot around that point. So it seems incongruous. We forgive the book for its leaps of logic by the time of the last tension-filled scene, but the plot holes resemble, well, Swiss cheese. One of Alex’s escapades in particular is ridiculous beyond words (but since he is thinking “this is ridiculous” the whole time, I forgave it and enjoyed the thrill ride). Lots of action violence, some blood mentioned, adults are irresponsible, pride is used against several main characters with embarrassing frequency, drugs used against kids, and racism/apartheid espoused by bad guys.

Overall; great book for lounging on the beach with. Or in the library, where the next book is within easy reach (I borrowed the first three at the same time, and had to get the next three within a week, so be forewarned, its not a good book to casually pick up for half an hour between studying for other things!).

Tags: Alex Rider, Anthony Horowitz, fiction, Mystery, Sincerelyornot, youth

Book one of the Alex Rider series. I have a weakness for mental junkfood, which I prefer to indulge in those deliciously pointless kids books that make you feel like you are in the middle of a movie (instead of stuck in some doctor’s waiting room that smells like bleach and old socks). This one actually made it to the big screen (for the record, I haven’t seen it yet), which poster drew me to the book out of sheer curiosity. The author is British, which may explain why you haven’t heard of the series before. Allow me to introduce you.

Plot: Alex Rider is a fourteen year old orphan whose reticent uncle and guardian dies in a “normal” car crash that involved bullet holes in the car windshield. Naturally, being a “normal” teenager, Alex has been trained in gymnastics, 2 black belts, a nanny who worries but doesn’t discipline, and all the investigative skills of a professional reporter. As is normal for such a teenager, he also investigates into his uncle’s death after seeing some guys in black suits with guns at the funeral, and finds out that a) his uncle was a spy, b) he was killed because he got too close to the truth in a crucial investigation that could save England from utter destruction, and c) (brace yourself) the bad guys are now on alert, and spy agency knows of only one way to get in and find the truth before its too late. Alex Rider, teenage spy. Mission One: find out why a businessman wants to give away his greatest invention to all England’s people, yet is highly secretive about its manufacturing and has a small army protecting his factory.

Positive: Finally, a kid’s book that takes its main plot device seriously! Alex may be extraordinary, but at least the agency admits it (and owns to the liabilities associated with having a child do this kind of dangerous work in the modern world). Also, Alex struggles with the idea of being a spy. He finds the whole idea exciting… before he starts in. Being a secret agent is stressful (you could get killed if you mess up), painful (he actually has a hard time with adult boot camp), and downright dangerous (bumps, bruises, and cuts that add to the growing list of things he has to hide about himself); and Alex is real enough as a character to admit he doesn’t like it. Of course, if Alex was able to cop out, there goes the “Alex Rider, Teenage Spy” series. But his reasons for staying on are realistic. Alex’s reactions to death, fighting, and the tension stay real too, keeping the story grounded. Also, the author manages to breathe life into several of those more predictable parts, twisting the usual narrative structure so that small (and not so small) surprises abound. The book uses enough complex words to form complete pictures in your head, and for me played out like a very exciting movie.

Negative: Say it with me, “cliché”; if you can’t uncover the major plot points ahead of time, you need to get out more. It’s a teenager who suddenly finds their relative was a spy and, oh my, they’ve been trained perfectly to fill in their shoes; a villain who is happy to divulge his plan entirely when, oh my, our hero is on the brink of death; and an invention encased in black plastic with lightening for a logo that, oh my, isn’t actually going to do anything good. See “positive” for why that doesn’t equal a boring story (hint, note the “major plot points” above). Scary situations for little kids, and some slight foreshadowing of disrespect for government, and, a person is dies in an unusual way.

Overall: It’s a very well written book, and I have to admit, pretty cleverly thought out. I could figure out some of the tricks, but more than one came as a surprise even though I knew all the facts beforehand (ye posters requesting a good mystery with accurate clues, take heed. We may be close to a whodunit! I didn’t realize the motivation behind the villain until later, but we DO learn about it beforehand). RECOMMENDED, for fun, not edification.

Tags: Alan Horowitz, fiction, Mystery, Sincerelyornot, Spy, Stormbreaker, youth